When most think of the Indiana Hoosiers, they think of a perennial basketball powerhouse nestled in the Midwest. They think of a program that thrives on the hardwood, having won 5 national championships in 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, and 1987. They think of prominent basketball coaches such as Branch McCracken and Bob Knight. Indiana is always thought of as a basketball school, in line with other schools such as Purdue, Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas. Not much attention is given to their football team, as historically they have not resembled a powerhouse able to compete with the likes of Ohio State or Alabama. However, recent events have shown that Indiana football is something to keep an eye on, in part due to their two most recent seasons. It is time to bear witness to the rebirth of the Indiana Hoosiers football team.

As stated previously, Indiana is not a traditional football power. In fact, they have historically been one of the worst football programs in Division 1 FBS. As of 2025, their all-time record stands at 506-692-38, for a winning percentage of about .424, or 42%. Winning seasons have been few and far between, and they have only a few conference titles to their name; their last Big Ten conference title was in 1967, with their last outright conference title having been won in 1945. Indiana has historically been the losingest program in college football. With that being said, why now are they so prominent? What is the catalyst for their success?

The answer lies in multiple factors, including players and the changing environment of college football as a whole, yet perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle in this situation is Indiana’s new head coach, Curt Cignetti. Previously coaching the Dukes of James Madison University, Cignetti became Indiana’s head coach following the 2023 season, where Indiana went 3-9 and fired their previous head coach, Tom Allen. Not many expected Indiana to have much success under Cignetti, as was the trend for most coaches for the Hoosiers. The 2024 season for Indiana, however, panned out far more successfully than anyone could have thought. Indiana went 11-2, though without a ranked win and losses to #2 Ohio State in Week 13 and #7 Notre Dame in the first round of the College Football Playoffs. Still, 2024 proved a solid first test for Indiana under Cignetti, with players such as quarterback Kurtis Rourke getting drafted into the NFL. 

Following the 2024 season, some discredited Indiana as a one-trick pony, predicting they would regress to a mean and go 6-6 or 7-5. The preseason AP Poll for 2025 had Indiana ranked at #20, however expectations were lower for this team. Indiana, presumably, did not have the capability to obtain continued success. Curt Cignetti and his Hoosiers had other plans. Moves were made to acquire talent via both recruiting and the transfer portal, landing players such as California quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Indiana was gearing up to go on a run in 2025, aimed towards the top of the college football world. And a run they would most definitely pull off.

Indiana opened the 2025 season with 3 tune-up games against Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, and Indiana State, which were easy wins, breezing through all three opponents. Soon enough, conference play began, and with that, their first serious test at home; the #9 Illinois Fighting Illini, coming off a 10-3 season in 2024. Indiana would proceed to blow out Illinois 63-10, almost knocking them out of the rankings entirely, while surging to #11 in the AP Poll. An upset scare at Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium followed, before Indiana traveled west to face their toughest opponent yet: the Oregon Ducks, ranked #3 in the nation. Indiana would snap Oregon’s home winning streak and pull off the 30-20 upset. The upset sent a message to the college football world; Indiana was here to stay.

Indiana proceeded to surge to #3 in the rankings following the victory, and easily swept through their next 3 games versus Michigan State, UCLA, and at Maryland, while rising to #2 in the AP Poll and College Football Playoff rankings following #2 Miami’s loss at home to Louisville in Week 8. Their next serious test came during a trip to Beaver Stadium to face the Penn State Nittany Lions, already battered after their season derailed significantly following a streak of losses to Oregon, UCLA, Northwestern, Iowa, and #1 Ohio State. The game was a bitter back and forth between the two, with an Indiana victory sealed following a crucial pass by Fernando Mendoza to Omar Cooper Jr. in the final minutes of the game. Indiana survived their road trip to Happy Valley 27-24, and improved to 10-0, while Penn State fell to 3-6, threatening their chances to go bowling, though Penn State would recover and finish 6-6. 

The Hoosiers were virtually unstoppable, and following two more easy victories over Wisconsin and bitter rival Purdue, they finished the season 12-0 for the first time ever. With a perfect season captured, their date with destiny in the Big Ten Championship Game was set; #2 Indiana vs #1 Ohio State. A battle for the top of the college football world. A battle between two Heisman Trophy favorites in Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin. A duel for the top seed in the College Football Playoffs. After a defensive slugfest, in which both quarterbacks shone in their own right, it would be Indiana who triumphed in the end, winning 13-10 over Ohio State, and capturing their first conference championship since 1967. 

Indiana’s run was not yet over. Now sitting at #1 in both the AP Poll and College Football Playoff rankings, and having the top seed in the Playoffs, they used the rest of December to prepare for the #9 Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl, Indiana’s first since 1967 when they lost to O.J. Simpson’s USC Trojans. During this preparation phase, Fernando Mendoza was announced as the winner of the Heisman Trophy, beating out the aforementioned Julian Sayin as well as Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia to do so. Mendoza is Indiana’s first Heisman Trophy winner, and throughout the season, amassed nearly 3,000 yards and 33 touchdowns, not including post-season accomplishments.

When the Tide and the Hoosiers finally met in Pasadena on New Year’s Day, the result could not have been more jaw-dropping. Indiana did not show any mercy, smashing Alabama 38-3 to move on to the Peach Bowl to play the #5 Oregon Ducks once again. This time, Indiana ensured the matchup wouldn’t be close in the slightest, thrashing Oregon 56-22 in Atlanta to move on to the National Championship against the #10 Miami Hurricanes, who were seeking their first national championship since 2001. The final challenge awaited them in Miami Gardens.

Indiana opened up the National Championship with a field goal to get on the board first, before scoring the game’s first touchdown to go up 10-0 in the second quarter. Miami attempted to score a field goal late in the second quarter, however missed, and Indiana would lead by 10 at halftime. Miami would strike early in the second half, with a rushing touchdown by Mark Fletcher Jr. cutting the Hoosiers’ lead to 3 points. Indiana’s next touchdown would come later in the third quarter, after a blocked punt near the end zone was returned for a touchdown, bringing Indiana’s lead back to 10 with a 7-17 score to begin the final quarter. 

Miami began the quarter with another rushing touchdown from Fletcher to turn the match into a one-score game. It wouldn’t be long before Indiana struck back, with Fernando Mendoza carrying the ball into the endzone in one of the most famous plays of the game to go up 14-24. Another Miami touchdown, this time a passing touchdown from quarterback Carson Beck to Malachi Toney, followed to bring the game back to one score at 21-24. Indiana would kick a field goal to go up 21-27, and Miami had a decent chance to win with a touchdown and an extra point. However, Carson Beck would throw an interception in the final minute of the game to seal Indiana’s first national championship. The Hoosiers had won it all for the first time ever. 

All in all, Indiana’s season has been nothing short of legendary. No longer are they the losingest program in the FBS. No longer are they the doormat of the Big Ten. And, for the first time in their long, storied history, they have risen to the top of the college football world, and won a national championship. No matter how it is spun, and no matter the perspective, this season will go down as the greatest in Indiana football history, and one of the greatest turnarounds in sports history.

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